By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, July 24 (HealthDay News) -- A disorder that affects connective tissue could provide vital clues to the genetic origin of nearly all human allergies and allergic diseases, say the authors of a new study of children.

People who have Loeys-Dietz syndrome tend to also suffer disproportionately from allergic diseases, researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center and the Johns Hopkins Institute of Genetic Medicine in Baltimore found when looking at a group of 58 children aged 7 to 20 who have the syndrome.

"We found that these patients had a very high risk of developing not just one allergy, but all forms of allergic disease," said study author and immunologist Dr. Pamela Frischmeyer-Guerrerio.

In their paper, published July 24 in Science Translational Medicine, the researchers contend that the genetic mutation that causes Loeys-Dietz syndrome appears to be closely tied to allergies -- so much so that it might explain why certain people suffer from allergic reactions.

However, other allergists are skeptical, saying the genetic link could just be a coincidence.

Loeys-Dietz syndrome is caused by the mutation of a gene called TGFb, and the researchers wondered if this mutation also might create a greater susceptibility to allergies and allergic diseases like eczema and asthma.

They found that the Loeys-Dietz syndrome patients had elevated levels of the signaling molecule produced by the gene, a protein called transforming growth factor-beta or TGF-beta.

TGF-beta serves many roles in the human body. It controls how cells grow in various organs, which is why mutation of the TGFb gene can lead to Loeys-Dietz syndrome, in which blood vessels develop into twisted shapes and physical abnormalities occur like cleft palate and clubfoot.

TGF-beta also is known to play a part in regulating the immune system, spurring the body to fight against foreign microbes while suppressing reactions against foreign bodies like food and pollen.

See more here:
Study of Genetic Condition May Yield Clues to Cause of Allergies

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